Importance of Marketing

But what makes marketing so big? Why is it important? If you have a great product you are bound to succeed then why do u need to spend on marketing / advertising?......The answer to these questions lies deep within the customers brain. Customers / consumers are smart and they understand what makes your product different form mine. If you are offering then 1 % more that what I do why should they pay me rather than paying you. Thats the point. And secondly its important to communicate the product offerings to the end user. If a marketing team has worked hard on understanding the consumer needs they need to make sure their customers get a feel This brand knows what I want . Trust me this is the only major differentiator between why your 1% more is able to get you more loyal and more number of customers.The time has changed. To products that are offered by a brand you have "n" number of more substitutes and consumers get to know which is the better substitute that suites there requirements . So it is important to make sure that marketing efforts are more on understanding the changing needs on todays customer. We need to understand the minds of customers. Its rightly said customer is KINGMarketing managers need to understand the customer needs and they need to make their major decisions such as the features to include, the price to be offered to customers and what to spend on advertisements.

Importance of sales and marketing?

First of all, all companies create a product whether tangible (GM) or intangible (Insurance). They must market it by getting it out to the public to see how it is the answer to a problem. The sales force shows how the product solves the particular need the individual has for the product and
selling it. So sales being comprised in the marketing dept., distributed these products, which generate income so that the company remains solvent and hopefully grows

Importance of Sales Skills

Business sales skills are a little bit more advanced, as you will be dealing with large corporations where sales pitches are delivered in meetings to a group of potential investors or clients. In this instance, sales skills are not just important, but they are vital. Imagine walking into a board room full of people who are all there just to listen to you. How do you command the room? How do you initiate conversation and begin your presentation? What do you wear? How do you walk? Do you look people in the eye? All of these questions are things that you should think about if you are interested in career in

sales where things can get rather stressful. Well, one of the best options is to go on a sales training course of some kind, or look for various seminars that will offer you specialized training in sales and marketing, whether it is for business selling, or personal selling .Becoming a sales person is not easy in todays harsh economic climate, but many people are selling and even in areas that are falling terribly like the real estate market. You may be wondering why this is, and why some agents are selling expensive houses, while others cannot even sell a cheap flat. Well, it all comes down to how good that particular agent is at selling and convincing the potential buyers that purchasing that particular house is the right move for them. Now, of course selling to someone falsely just to make a sale is wrong being truthful is the only way to go but some people just have a knack for telling people exactly the right thing at the right time. You may be born with this gift, but if you are not, you can easily learn these sales skills at a school or college. Mostly, sales are all about psychology, and if you can tap into that using your inner resources such as personality, friendly nature, and charm, you will soon see that selling products and services to people can be quite easy.

Marketing:
Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large

Marketing Research: Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information-information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process. Marketing research specifies the information required to address these issues, designs the method for collecting information, manages and implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and their implications

Functions of marketing
The functions of marketing are embodied in the aggregate of economic activities related to the transfer of property right, selling and buying, the transport and storage of goods, distribution, packaging, financing and procurement. All these areas involve numerous marketing actions that are distinguished between general and specific functions. The general functions of marketing are:
Market and consumer research. This is the main function of all marketing activities. This function implies obtaining the information about the current market situation and future perspectives. This is the foundation of all decisions: formulating

the strategy, designing a new product or service, extension to a new market, targeting a specific market. Permanent adaptation to the requirements of social and economic environment. This implies the employment of all resources in order to operatively accommodate to the market demands. A company's adaptability can be measured by comparing the dynamics of the supply it is providing to the dimension, structure and level of demand. It depends on the capacity of the management to use the resources effectively. Full satisfaction of demand. This is the objective of any company that aims for a rewarding economic activity. As a company manages to accomplish better the market requirements, its chances to gain profit, increase its turnover and surpass its competitors, rise. Maximizing of economic efficiency. It assumes the optimization of all economic processes (production, transportation, storage, distribution) so that the profitability is increasing. Marketing involves more than

its functions. It has certain principles of organizing the company's activity:

Market knowledge. The customer must be helped to make a choice. For this reason, various information from the market need to be collected and analyzed. Information about: the structure and dynamics of demand, tastes and preferences of consumers. The company needs to produce what it can sell, not to sell what it can produce. Anticipation of consumer preferences. The market needs to be studied and future trends forecasted. Marketing for the company, not company for marketing. All resources need to be invested in the business and the staff needs to be motivated to adhere to the company's general objective.

movement of finished goods from the end of the production operation to the consumer. Physical distribution takes place within numerous wholesaling and retailing distribution channels, and includes such important decision areas as customer service, inventory control, materials handling, protective packaging, order procession, transportation, warehouse site selection, and warehousing. Physical distribution is part of a larger process called "distribution," which includes wholesale and retail marketing, as well the physical movement of products. Physical distribution activities have recently received increasing attention from business managers, including small business owners. This is due in large part to the

Exchange and Utility

The criteria needed for an exchange to occur: Must have something of value to exchange Need to be able to communicate Must be able to exchange (under 21 drinking) Must want to exchange

At least 2 people needed for an exchange to occur The exchange process creates Utility. Utility is the satisfaction, value, or usefulness a user receives from a good or a service. When you purchase an automobile, you give up less (in $s) than the value of the car (to you)...the ability to get you from A to B, safely, in a timely manner etc.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service is a precisely-defined standard of customer satisfaction which a small business owner intends to provide for its customers. For example, a customer service standard for the above-mentioned provider of customized computers might be that 60 percent of all PCS reach the customer within 48 hours of ordering. It might further set a standard of delivering 90 percent of all of its units within 72 hours, and all 100 percent of its units within 96 hours. A physical distribution system is then set up to reach this goal at the lowest possible cost. In today's fastpaced, technologically advanced business environment, such systems often involve the use of specialized software that allows the owner to track inventory while simultaneously analyzing all the routes and transportation modes available to determine the fastest, most cost-effective way to delivery goods on time.

TRANSPORTATION
The United States' transportation system has long been a government-regulated industry, much like its telephone and electrical utilities. But in 1977 the deregulation of transportation began with the removal of federal regulations for cargo air carriers not engaged in passenger transportation. The deregulation movement has since expanded in ways that have fundamentally altered the transportation landscape for small business owners, large conglomerates and, ultimately, the consumer. Transportation costs are largely based on the rates charged by carriers. There are two basic types of transportation rates: class and commodity. The class rate, which is the higher of the two rates, is the standard rate for every commodity moving between any two destinations. The commodity rate is sometimes called a special rate, since it is given by carriers to shippers as a reward for either regular use or large-quantity shipments. Unfortunately, many small business owners do not have the volume of shipping needed to take advantage of commodity rates. However, small businesses are increasingly utilizing a third type of rate that has emerged in recent years. This rate is known as a negotiated or contract rate. Popularized in the 1980s following transportation deregulation, contract rates allow a shipper and carrier to negotiate a rate for a particular service, with the terms of the rate, service, and other variables finalized in a contract between the two parties. Transportation costs vary by mode of shipping, as discussed below.

WAREHOUSING
Small business owners who require warehousing facilities must decide whether to maintain their own strategically located depot(s), or resort to holding their goods in public warehouses. And those entrepreneurs who go with non-public warehousing must further decide between storage or distribution facilities. A storage warehouse holds products for moderate to long-term periods in an attempt to balance supply and demand for producers and purchasers. They are most often used by small businesses whose products' supply and demand are seasonal. On the other hand, a distribution warehouse assembles and redistributes products quickly, keeping them on the move as much as possible. Many distribution warehouses physically store goods for fewer than 24 hours before shipping them on to customers. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELLING AND MARKETING In general we use marketing and selling as synonyms but there is a substantial difference between both the concepts. It is necessary to understand the differences between them for a successful marketing manager. Selling has a product focus and mostly producer driven. It is the action part of marketing only and has short term goal of achieving market share. The emphasis is on price variation for closing the sale where the objective can be stated, as I must somehow sell the product. This short term focus does not consider a prudential planning for building up the brand in the market place and winning competitive advantage through a high loyal set of customers. The end means of any sales activity is maximizing profits through sales maximization. When the focus is on selling, the businessman thinks that after production has been completed the task of the sales force starts. It is also the task of the sales department to sell whatever the production department has manufactured. Aggressive sales methods are justified to meet this goal and customers actual needs and satisfaction are taken for granted. Selling converts the product in to cash for the company in the short run. Marketing as a concept and approach is much wider than selling and is also dynamic as the focus is on the customer rather than the product. While selling revolves around the needs and interest of the manufacturer or marketer, marketing revolves around that of consumer. It is the whole process of meeting and satisfying the needs of the consumer. Marketing consists of all those activities that are associated with product planning, pricing, promoting and distributing the product or service. The task commences with identifying consumer needs and does not end till feedback on consumer satisfaction from the consumption of the product is received. It is a long chain of activity, which comprises production, packing, promotion, pricing, distribution and then the selling. Consumer needs become the guiding force behind all these

activities. Profits are not ignored but they are built up on a long run basis. Mind share is more important than market share in Marketing. According to Prof. Theodore Levitt The difference between selling and marketing is more than semantic. A truly marketing minded firm tries to create value satisfying goods and services which the consumers will want to buy. What is offers for sale is determined not by the seller but by the buyers. The seller takes his cues from the buyer and the product becomes the consequence of the marketing effort, not vice versa. Selling merely concerns itself with the tricks and techniques of getting the customers to exchange their cash for the companys products, it does not bother about the value satisfaction that the exchange is all about. On the contrary, marketing views the entire business as consisting of a tightly integrated effort to discover, create, arouse ad satisfy customer needs. SELLING 1 Emphasis is on the product 2 Company Manufactures the product first 3 Management is sales volume oriented 4 Planning is short-run-oriented in terms of todays products and markets 5 Stresses needs of seller 6 Views business as a good producing process 7 Emphasis on staying with existing technology and reducing costs 8 Different departments work as in a highly separate water tight compartments 9 Cost determines Price 10 Selling views customer as a last link in business MARKETING 1 Emphasis on consumer needs wants 2 Company first determines customers needs and wants and then decides out how to deliver a product to satisfy these wants 3 Management is profit oriented 4 Planning is long-run-oriented in todays products and terms of new products, tomorrows markets and future growth 5 Stresses needs and wants of buyers 6 Views business as consumer producing process satisfying process 7 Emphasis on innovation on every existing technology and reducing every sphere, on providing better costs value to the customer by adopting a superior technology 8 All departments of the business integrated manner, the sole purpose being generation of consumer satisfaction 9. Consumer determine price, price determines cost 10. Marketing views the customer last link in business as the very purpose of the business

selling - training
Selling is a wonderful profession when approached ethically, constructively and helpfully. Happily much sales development theory takes this positive direction. The origins of the word 'sell'

provide a useful reminder of its purest meaning. Selling is a wide subject, covering many selling methods, sales theories, models and sales training methods. This sales training guide attempts to summarise the main ideas of the professional selling field. You can use this information as a self-teaching aid to develop your own sales skills, to teach others, or to help you identify and choose suitable sales training courses programs and providers for yourself, for your team or for your sales organization

definition of sales promotion

An activity designed to boost the sales of a product or service. It may include an advertising campaign, increased PR activity, a free-sample campaign, offering free gifts or trading stamps, arranging demonstrations or exhibitions, setting up competitions with attractive prizes, temporary price reductions, door-to-door calling, telemarketing, personal letters on other methods .More than any other element of the promotional mix, sales promotion is about action. It is about stimulating customers to buy a product. It is not designed to be informative a role which advertising is much better suited to .Sales promotion is commonly referred to as Below the Line promotion .Sales promotion can be directed at: The ultimate consumer (a pull strategy encouraging purchase) The distribution channel (a push strategy encouraging the channels to stock the product). This is usually known as selling into the trade Methods of sales promotion There are many consumer sales promotional techniques available, summarized in the table below: Price promotions ..Price promotions are also commonly known as price discountingThese offer either (1) a discount to the normal selling price of a product, or (2) more of the product at the normal price.Increased sales gained from price promotions are at the expense of a loss in profit so these promotions must be used with care.A producer must also guard against the possible negative effect of discounting on a brands reputation Coupons..Coupons are another, very versatile, way of offering a discount. Consider the following examples of the use of coupons:- On a pack to encourage repeat purchase - In coupon books sent out in newspapers allowing customers to redeem the coupon at a retailer - A cut-out coupon as part of an advert - On the back of till receipts The key objective with a coupon promotion is to maximize the redemption rate this is the proportion of customers actually using the coupon.One problem with coupons is that they may simply encourage customers to buy what they would have bought anyway. Another problem occurs when retailers do not hold sufficient stocks of the promoted

product causing customer disappointment. Use of coupon promotions is, therefore, often best for new products or perhaps to encourage sales of existing products that are slowing down. Gift with purchase.The gift with purchase is a very common promotional technique. It is also known as a premium promotion in that the customer gets something in addition to the main purchase. This type of promotion is widely used for:- Subscription-based products (e.g. magazines) - Consumer luxuries (e.g. perfumes) Competitions and prizes Another popular promotion tool with many variants. Most competition and prize promotions are subject to legal restrictions.

Sales & Marketing Promotion

Creating a sales and marketing promotions strategy requires a thorough knowledge of your companys products, competition and overall mission. Sales and marketing promotions strategists must first be able to identify which segment of the general public might be interested in purchasing products. For instance, targeting grown men when selling Barbie dolls likely wouldnt yield positive results. Sales and marketing promotions strategists also must be creative in promoting their products Marketing a product goes beyond just the obvious aspects of age group and gender. Strategists have to factor in lifestyles, income and location, as well as what is trendy. They conduct research and polls to discover what the public likes about their products, or what the public would do differently. They also need to find out why people are choosing not to buy their
Markets

products

Promotions A good sales and

marketing promotions strategy involves a surefire method to reach its audience. This involves designing graphics to creating catchy jingles for advertising. Sales and marketing strategists push their products and services through many different venues, such as broadcast and print advertising, billboards and e-mail newsletters. Other promotions include offering discounts on products or rewards for purchasing a certain degree of serviceCompetition Sales and

marketing promotions strategies focus must focus heavily on what the competition is doing, and how it goes about promoting its own products. Strategists have to ask if what the competition is doing is successful, and if so, why. They also need to be aware that they can, in fact, learn a lot from the competition, and if necessary, steal the competitions ideas and make it their own--much like Coke and Pepsi, or Burger King and McDonalds, all do on a regular basis.

Pricing
When it comes to making a purchase, the first thing a customer typically observes is the cost. Its up to sales and marketing promotions strategists to figure out how much a customer is willing to pay for a product, factoring in how much it costs to

manufacture the product. There is also the location factor, where prices for the same product might need to vary by region.

Supply And Demand

Along with knowing the many facets of pushing products and services, sales and marketing promotion strategists keep track of inventory, making sure there are enough items available to meet buyer demand. If another company is manufacturing the product, they have to make sure orders are placed and that products arrive in good condition. Where and how to store or display items may be another consideration.

Importance of Sales Promotion

The importance of sales promotion is the unique role it plays in the marketing mix. In particular, it enables the marketer to add time urgency and other behavioral influences to the promotion campaign. Along with advertising, public relations and personal selling, sales promotion is one of four key tools for marketing communication.
Incentives

While advertising is primarily used to build a product's visibility and favorability over time, sales promotion is a means of giving buyers incentive to make an immediate purchase or to switch from a competitive brand. For example, a consumer might have a positive image of a brand based on a pleasing television commercial, but feel no urgency to try it until receiving a discount coupon or a sweepstakes opportunity.

Behavioral Targeting
Sales promotion is most effective when it is tailored to the buying behavior of a particular target. Among the most relevant behavioral dimensions are purchase frequency and brand loyalty. For example, people who buy spices rarely, or in small quantities, decide to buy more often or in larger volume if they received free recipes in return. Those who usually choose a competitor's brand of spice could be induced to switch by a discount coupon.

Consumer Promotion
Many popular sales promotions are targeted primarily or solely to household consumers. Those focused on price include both discount coupons and the significant but time-limited price breaks known as deals, like buy-one-get-one-free offers. Contests and sweepstakes are another approach intended to create interest and excitement tied to a brand. Loyalty programs, heavily used by airlines and hotels, reward patrons with some premium or gift that becomes more valuable as their purchases increase in frequency or volume.

Trade Promotion
Trade sales promotion is aimed at a market that buys for resale, not for personal consumption. Primarily, this group includes retail and wholesale buyers who control distribution to household consumers. Certain types of consumer promotion can influence the trade, but marketers also use devices specifically designed for this audience. Some common trade promotions include discounts or rebates offered in return for large orders, rewards of cash or merchandise to highperforming salespeople, and exhibits at trade shows.

A sales promotion is a short-term marketing strategy designed to stimulate interest in a product or service. Smallbusiness owners can make use of sale promotion techniques for purposes such as generating additional traffic in their location or luring business from the competition. Effective sales promotions typically require following a predetermined methodology.

Types of Sales Promotion

In the Sales Promotion tutorial we saw that promotions can be classified into three main areas :Consumer MarketDirected . Trade Market-Directed . Business-to-Business Market-Directed .In this tutorial we look more deeply into each of these classifications by examining the different types of promotions that fall into each. As we will see much of what is covered is very familiar to even those who are new to marketing as it involves promotional methods consumers are exposed to nearly every day. For marketers, it is important to understand the value each type of sales promotion holds for helping them meet their promotional objectives

Types of Sales Promotions

Sales promotions are used as a way to attract attention to your business or provide an incentive for a customer to take a desired action. Sales promotions typically last for a specified time period and are designed to achieve a defined purpose like helping to launch a new business or luring customers away from a competitor. A variety of sales promotion types are available to small business owners.

Demos and Sampling

According to the Business Owner's ToolKit website, 51 percent of shoppers purchased a product they normally would not have purchased when given a free sample. Samples are most commonly used in grocery stores to introduce a new food product. A demo is another form of sampling when a product or service is demonstrated during actual use. A small business owner such as a home improvement contractor could work with a

local hardware store to demonstrate a home improvement project.

Coupons
Coupons can be used as a way to attract new customers or to develop customer loyalty. Mail coupons to targeted households as an incentive for someone to shop at your store or purchase your product. You can also place them on products on your store's shelves to provide customers with an immediate savings at the cash register. The latter method encourages customers to keep coming back to your business.

Price Reduction
A price reduction allows customers to buy your products at a lower price for a specified period of time. A price reduction may take the form of a sale or an in-store event like an unadvertised special on certain items. A price reduction may also be used to take attention away from a competitor. For example, if you operate a dry cleaning business and a new dry cleaner opens a store down the street, you can offer a price reduction to lure customers away from the new store's grand opening event.

Free Products
Giving something away is another way to lure customers to your place of business. For your grand opening event, you can provide everyone who attends with free food or drink or free merchandise. You can also give away items containing your brand or slogan such as coffee mugs or tshirts. Another idea is to give away prizes to the first 25 people who enter your place of business on a given day.

QUALITIES OF GOOD SALESMAN

A successful salesman should possess following main three types of qualities. 1. Professional qualities. 2. Specific qualities. 3. General qualities. Some of the most important points in professional, special and general traits of goods salesman have been explained below: Training and experience A good salesman should be expert in his respective field. He should have knowledge about the technique of production and art of salesmanship. He must be trained in speaking regional and other languages. It is advisable for the successful result of the operation that a salesman must undergo on practical training before coming to the actual job. Latest information

A salesman must have up-to-date information in regarded to quality, nature, description, prices and importance of the dealing products. He should also have the knowledge of potential market, organization of his firm and taste of his consumers. Psychological approach A salesman should be in a position to follow the psychology of human nature. He must have ability of understand his customer's choice. So he should talk in terms of the customer's interest and he must create pleasant atmosphere to achieve favorable attention and interest on the part of the prospect buyer. Convincing style A good salesman should adopt convincing style in order to win prospect's confidence. He must persuade his prospect that the specific product being sold will best fill that need. Sound appearance A salesman should have the personality of good health and sound physique. He must be stalwart young man with pleasing manners and nice habits. He must possess the abilities of influencing and attracting other persons. Honesty It is a prominent quality of a good salesman. .In order to establish the goodwill of firm he must be honest and sincere in performing his duty. There is no place for dishonest salesman in any business. Steady work It is the most important trait of successful salesman that he should be industrious. He must show enthusiasm for his profession and constantly work hard to achieve more success in his field. Courtesy A salesman must be very polite. Courtesy in to business what oil is to machinery. It costs nothing but wins a reputation. So polite language should be used for the object of winning buyer's confidence. This will also help him to make regular and permanent customers. In addition to the foregoing qualities, a salesman should be sincere, self reliant, sociable, and tactful and diplomatic. Sociability A good salesman must keep in touch with the people of different nature in the world and not keep himself to himself. He should move about with a view to widen his range of acquaintances. Salesman should therefore, possess a quality of mixing freely with unknown person within

a short time. He should be sociable and popular in order to win new friends. Self Reliance and persistence Another notable quality of the goods salesman is ability to convince the prospective customers with persistent efforts. In order to adequately satisfy customers demand he must be a man of self reliance. He should have perseverance and determination. Dependability The successful salesman should have the capacity of dependability. It keeps him much to win the heart of both customer and employer. A dependable salesman will remain loyal to firm. Thus he will be sincere in his approach to customer with a view to increase the volume of sales and enhances the firms reputation.

Others
Tolerate by NatureOrganized ..Flexible ..Enthusiasm

The Nature of Personal Selling

Selling is one of the oldest professions in the world. Today, most salespeople are well-educated, well-trained professionals who work to build and maintain long-term relationships with customers. They build these relationships by listening to their customers; assessing customers needs, and organizing the companys efforts to solve customer problems. The term salesperson covers a wide variety of positions and responsibilities. The person can be: 1). An inside order taker. 2). An order getter (a great amount of creative selling skills are demanded in this position). Personal selling is likely to be emphasized in a promotional mix when the market is concentrated or the product has a high unit value, is technical in nature, and requires a demonstration. It is also useful if the product can be tailored to an individual customers need, or the product is in the introductory stage of the product life cycle

characteristics of personal selling

Personal selling is having flexibility of system it provides one to one contact between the buyers and sellers. It Identify specific sales prospects the first step in the selling process is prospecting identifying qualified potential customers. Approaching the right potential customers is crucial to selling success. Direct contact with the potential buyers provides opportunity to demonstrate the product and to customers and to answer the queries and questions of the customers. Answer questions during the presentation step of

the selling process, the salesperson tells the product "story" to the buyer, showing how the product will make or save money. The salesperson describes the product features but concentrates on presenting customer benefits.

role of personal selling in marketing

Discuss the role of a companys salespeople in creating value for customers and building customer relationships. Today, most companies use salespeople to bring their companys offering to the consuming or business publics. The salespersons role is a key one in the organization. The high cost of maintaining a sales force means that management is especially interested in how to efficiently organize this vital element. PERSONAL SELLING A. Personal selling The direct presentation of a product to a prospective customer by a representative of the selling organization is termed as personal selling. Personal selling is the personal communication of information to persuade somebody to buy something. Personal Selling occurs when a company representative comes in direct contact with a customer in order to inform a client about a good or service to get a sale. Personal selling is especially important for business-tobusiness marketers since products and services are complex and expensive. In many companies, personal selling is the largest single operating expense. a. The Nature of Personal Selling Selling is one of the oldest professions in the world. Today, most salespeople are well-educated, well-trained professionals who work to build and maintain long-term relationships with customers. They build these relationships by listening to their customers; assessing customers needs, and organizing the companys efforts to solve customer problems. The term salesperson covers a wide variety of positions and responsibilities. The person can be: 1). An inside order taker. 2). An order getter (a great amount of creative selling skills are demanded in this position). Personal selling is likely to be emphasized in a promotional mix when the market is concentrated or the product has a high unit value, is technical in nature, and requires a demonstration. It is also useful if the product can be tailored to an individual customers need, or the product is in the introductory stage of the product life cycle. b. The Role of the Sales Force Personal selling is the interpersonal arm of the promotion mix. Sales people represent the

company to the customer and act as an intermediary linking the customer to the company. c. Salespeople. Salespeople act for a company and perform one of more of the following: prospecting of new business; communicating with potential and existing customers; servicing customers and information gathering. Sales positions range from: delivering product; taking orders; building goodwill or educating customers; positions where technical knowledge is required; and creative selling. d. Sales management. Sales management involves the analysis, planning, implementation and control of sales force activities. Advertising consists of oneway, non-personal communication with target customer groups while the personal selling involves two-way, personal communication between salespeople and individual consumers. Personal selling can be more effective than advertising in more complex selling situations. The role of personal selling varies from company to company. Some firms have no salespeople at all. The sales force serves as a critical link between a company and its customers. The salesperson can represent both buyer and seller i.e. 1). They represent the company to the customer. 2). They represent customers to the company. Salespeople are becoming more marketfocused and customer-oriented. 1).The old view was that salespeople should be concerned with sales and the company should be concerned with profit. 2). The new view is that salespeople should be concerned with more than just producing salesthey must know how to produce customer satisfaction and company profit. Personal selling is performed by personto-person dialogue between prospective buyer and the seller through direct human contact for matching products to needs. It involves developing relationships between buyer and the seller to discover the needs of the customers/buyers and the benefits of the products that can satisfy the needs of customer can be communicated to customer. e. The characteristics of personal selling Personal selling is having flexibility of system it provides one to one contact between the buyers and sellers. It Identify specific sales prospects the first step in the selling process is prospecting identifying qualified potential customers. Approaching the right potential customers is crucial to selling success. Direct contact with the potential buyers provides opportunity to demonstrate the

product and to customers and to answer the queries and questions of the customers. Answer questions during the presentation step of the selling process, the salesperson tells the product "story" to the buyer, showing how the product will make or save money. The salesperson describes the product features but concentrates on presenting customer benefits. Using a need-satisfaction approach, the salesperson starts with a search for the customer's needs by getting the customer to do most of the talking. During demonstration there can be certain objections raised by the customers, which can be overcome at very same time. Customers almost always have objections during the presentation or when asked to place an order. The problem can be either logical or psychological, and objections are often unspoken. In handling objections, the salesperson should use a positive approach, seek out hidden objections, asks the buyer to clarify any objections, take objections as opportunities to provide more information, and turn the objections into reasons for buying. Every salesperson needs training in the skills of handling objections. f. Builds Relationships The principles of personal selling as just described are transaction orientedtheir aim is to help salespeople close a specific sale with a customer. But in many cases, the company is not seeking simply a sale: It has targeted a major customer that it would like to win and keep. The company would like to show that it has the capabilities to serve the customer over the long haul in a mutually profitable relationship. Most companies today are moving away from transaction marketing, with its emphasis on making a sale. Instead, they are practicing relationship marketing, which emphasizes maintaining profitable long-term relationships with customers by creating superior customer value and satisfaction. They are realizing that when operating in maturing markets and facing stiffer competition, it costs a lot more to wrest new customers from competitors than to keep current customers. Today's customers are large and often global. They prefer suppliers who can sell and deliver a coordinated set of products and services to many locations. They favor suppliers who can quickly solve problems that arise in their different parts of the nation or world, and who can work closely with customer teams to improve products and processes. For these customers, the sale is only the beginning of the relationship. Unfortunately, some companies are not set up for these developments. They often sell their

products through separate sales forces, each working independently to close sales. Their technical people may not be willing to lend time to educate a customer. Their engineering, design, and manufacturing people may have the attitude that "it's our job to make good products and the salesperson's to sell them to customers." However, other companies are recognizing that winning and keeping accounts requires more than making good products and directing the sales force to close lots of sales. It requires a carefully coordinated whole-company effort to create value-laden, satisfying relationships with important customers. Relationship marketing is based on the premise that important accounts need focused and ongoing attention. Studies have shown that the best salespeople are those who are highly motivated and good closers, but more than this, they are customer problem solvers and relationship builders. Good salespeople working with key customers do more than call when they think a customer might be ready to place an order. They also study the account and understand its problems. They call or visit frequently, work with the customer to help solve the customer's problems and improve its business, and take an interest in customers as people. g. Basic Sales Tasks Order Getting: It is creative selling ad is more time consuming. It is used for selling products to new prospects (pioneers) and to sell to continuing customers (account managers). Some times telemarketing is used particularly to small accounts for seeking customers, analyzing their problems, Discover solutions and finally selling solutions to customers. Order Taking: This task is related with very little creative selling, used for Write up of orders, for checking invoices for accuracy, to assure timely order processing and may use suggestive selling for different problems that is supporting the customers in acquiring solution for problem. h. The advantages of personal selling The advantages of personal selling over the other promotion tools It can be adapted for individual customers. It can be focused on prospective customers. It results in the actual sale, while most other forms of promotion are used in moving the customer closer to the sale. i. The disadvantages of personal selling The major disadvantages of the personal selling are: Expensive per contact Many sales calls may be needed to generate a single sale Labor intensive It is costly to develop and operate a sales force. It may be difficult to attract high-caliber people.

Steps in personal Selling process

1. Pre-sale preparation: The first step in personal selling is the selection, training and motivation of salespersons. The salespersons must be fully familiar with the product, the firm, the market and the selling techniques. They should be wellinformed about the competitor's products and the degree of competition. They should also be acquainted with the motives and behavior of prospective buyers. 2. Prospecting : It refers to locating or searching out prospective buyers who have the need for the product and the ability to buy it. Potential customers may be spotted through observation, enquiry and analysis of records of existing customers. Social contacts, business associations and dealers can be helpful in the identification of potential buyers. 3. Approaching : Before calling on the prospects, the salesperson should fully learn their number, needs, habits, spending capacity, motives, etc. Such knowledge helps in selecting the right sales appeal. After such learning, the salesperson should approach the customer in a polite and dignified way. He should introduce himself and his product to the customer. He should greet the customer with a smile and make him feel at home. He should introduce himself and his product to the customer. In case he is busy with some other customer, he should assure the new customer that he would be attended very soon. The salesperson has to be very careful in his approach as the first impression is the last impression. 4. Presentation : For this purpose, the salesperson has to present the product and describe its features in brief. The presentation should be matched with the attitude of the prospect so that the salesman can continuously hold his attention and create interest in the product. 5. Demonstration: In order to maintain customer's interest and to arouse his desire, the sales-person must display and demonstrate the product. He has to explain the utility and distinctive qualities of the product so that the prospect realizes the need for the product to satisfy his wants. He should not be in a hurry to impress the customer and should avoid controversy. He may suggest uses of the product and may create an impulsive urge to possess the article by appealing to human instincts. 6. Handling objections: A sale cannot be achieved simply by creating interest and desire. Every customer wants to make the best bargain for the money he is spending. Presentation and demonstration of the product are likely to create doubts and questions in his mind. The salesman should clear all doubts and objections without entering into a controversy and without losing his temper. Testimonials, money-back guarantee, tact and patience are popular means of winning over s hesitant buyers. The salesman should convince the customer that he is making the best use of his money by purchasing

the product. For this purpose, the salesman should prove the superiority of his product over the competitive products. He should not lose patience if the customer puts too many queries and takes time in arriving at any decision. If the customer does not buy even after meeting rejections, the salesman should let him go without showing temper. He must believe in the universal rule that the customer is always right. 7. Closing the sale: This is the climax or critical point in the personal selling process. Completing the sale seems to be an easy task but inappropriate handling of the customer can result in loss of sale. The salesman should not force the deal but let the customer feel that he has made the final decision. He should guide the customer in making the choice without imposing his own view. Some adjustment in price or other concession may sometimes be necessary for a successful closing. The salesman should show the same interest in the customer which he exhibited during approach stage. Sales should be closed in a cordial manner so that the customer feels inclined to visit the shop again. In closing the sale, the article should be packed properly and handed over to the customer with speed and accuracy. Once the customer has purchased the article, the salesman should show and suggest an allied product. For instance, he may suggest socks, ties, handkerchiefs, vests, etc., to a customer purchasing a shirt. This is known as additional sales and requires great skill and tact. 8. Post-sale follow-up : It refers to the activities undertaken to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the article and the firm. These activities include installation of the products, checking and ensuring its smooth performance, maintenance and after-sale service. It helps to secure repeat sales identify additional prospects and to evaluate salesman's effectiveness.

Motivation
Ask any person who is successful in whatever he or she is doing what motivates him/her, and very likely the answer will be "goals". Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because that's what your parents want, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself. Sure, it's possible to succeed with someone else providing the motivation for you. ("If you graduate from college, I'll give you a car!" or worse "If you don't graduate from college, you won't get a car.") But motivation that comes from within really makes the difference. Certainly, you need some intelligence, knowledge base, study skills, and time management skills, but if you don't have motivation, you won't get far. Think about this analogy. You have a car with a full tank of gas, a well-tuned engine, good set of tires, quadraphonic CD system, and a sleek, polished exterior. There it sits. This car has incredible potential. (Have you heard that before?) However, until a driver

sits behind the wheel, puts the key in the ignition, and cranks it up, the car doesn't function. You guessed it; the KEY is MOTIVATION. Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral of motivation toward a goal you have established. So be honest with yourself. Are you genuinely interested in being in college? Have you set realistic goals for yourself? How can you develop the internal motivation that really counts? When it comes to motivation, KNOWING is not as important as DOING.

how to motivation
The Ultimate Guide to Motivation How to Achieve Any Goal

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. - Henry Ford One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, whether it be related to productivity, waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to stick with it. If you can stick with a goal for long enough, youll almost always get there eventually. It just takes patience, and motivation. Motivation is the key, but its not always easy, day in and day out, to find that motivation. What follows is a guide to motivation using what Ive learned over the last few years in a series of successful accomplishments, goals and habit changes. Ive had many failures, but also many successes, and Ive learned a lot from all of them. Motivation has been a particularly important topic of exploration for me. What Motivation Can Achieve What have I accomplished using these motivation methods? Too much to mention, just in the last 3 years: running two marathons, learning to become an early riser, losing 40 pounds, completing a triathlon, becoming vegetarian, becoming more productive, starting a successful blog, writing a book, becoming organized, simplifying my life, quitting my day job, tripling my income, eliminating my debt, and much more. Thats not intended to sound like bragging, but to show you what can be accomplished (just to start) if you find the right motivation.

How Does Motivation Work? Before we get into specific methods, its useful to examine what motivation is, what it does, and how it works. Motivation is what drives you toward a goal, what keeps you going when things get tough, the reason you get up early to exercise or work late to finish a project. There are all kinds of motivations, of course, from positive to negative. Having a boss threaten to fire you is motivation youll likely work harder to complete a project with that kind of pressure. But I find that positive motivation works better if its something you really want to do, youll do a much better job than to avoid something you dont want (such as being fired). So motivation, in its best form, is a way for you to want to do something. There may be times, for example, when you dont feel like getting up early, and in those times you may seriously just want to sleep in (not that theres anything wrong with that). But if you have a reason to want to get up early, something you really really want to do, youll jump up out of bed with excitement. The best motivation, then, is a way for you to really want something, to get excited about it, to be passionate about it. Remember that, as there are many other types of motivation (especially negative), but in my experience, this is the kind that works the best. There is only so long that you can go trying to motivate yourself to do something you dont like to do, something you dont want to do. But if you find ways to really want to do something, you can sustain your effort for much, much longer. 8 Ways to Motivate Yourself From the Beginning Ive found that its important to start out with the right motivation, because a good start can build momentum that you can sustain for a long time. If you start out right, you have a much better chance of succeeding. Here are some tips for starting out: Start small. Ive said this before, but thats because its one of the most important tips in motivating yourself toward a goal. Dont start out big! Start out with a ridiculously easy goal, and then grow from there. If you want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a week. No instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do more, but just stick to 2 minutes. Its so easy, you cant fail. Do it at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some jogging in place. Once youve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, youll be doing 15-20. Want to wake up early? Dont think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. Thats all. Once youve

done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps. One goal. Too many people start with too many goals at once, and try to do too much. And it saps energy and motivation. Its probably the most common mistake that people make. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. Its not possible Ive tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, thats hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when youve accomplished your One Goal.

1.

Examin e your motivation. Know your reasons. Give them some thought and write them down. If you have loved ones, and you are doing it for them, that is more powerful than just doing it for selfinterest. Doing it for yourself is good too, but you should do it for something that you REALLY REALLY want to happen, for really good reasons. Really, really want it. This is essentially the same as the above tip, but I want to emphasize it: its not enough to think it would be cool to achieve something. It has to be something youre passionate about, something youre super excited about, something you want deeply. Make sure that your goal meets these criteria, or you wont stick with it for long. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something weve said publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldnt back down, and even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed it. Now, you dont have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable dont just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so. Get excited. Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that excitement and build on it. For me, Ive learned that by talking to my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once Ive done that, its just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going. Build anticipation. This will sound hard, and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. It helped me quit smoking after many failed attempts. If you find inspiration and want to do a goal, dont start right away. Many of us will get excited and want to start today. Thats a mistake. Set a date in the future a week

or two, or even a month and make that your Start Date. Mark it on the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your goal. Print it out, post it up. Print out your goal in big words. Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (Exercise 15 mins. Daily), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example) also helps. 20 Ways to Sustain Motivation When Youre Struggling The second half of motivation is to keep yourself going when you dont feel the same excitement as you did in the beginning. Perhaps something new has come into your life and your old goal isnt as much of a priority anymore. Perhaps you skipped a day or two and now you cant get back into it. Perhaps you screwed up and got discouraged. If you can get yourself excited again, and keep going, youll get there eventually. But if you give up, you wont. Its your choice accomplish the goal, or quit. Heres how you can stop from quitting, and get to your goal: Hold yourself back. When I start with a new exercise program, or any new goal really, I am rarin to go. I am full of excitement, and my enthusiasm knows no boundaries. Nor does my sense of selflimitation. I think I can do anything. Its not long before I learn that I do have limitations, and my enthusiasm begins to wane. Well, a great motivator that Ive learned is that when you have so much energy at the beginning of a program, and want to go all out HOLD BACK. Dont let yourself do everything you want to do. Only let yourself do 50-75 percent of what you want to do. And plan out a course of action where you slowly increase over time. For example, if I want to go running, I might think I can run 3 miles at first. But instead of letting myself do that, I start by only running a mile. When Im doing that mile, Ill be telling myself that I can do more! But I dont let myself. After that workout, Ill be looking forward to the next workout, when Ill let myself do 1.5 miles. I keep that energy reined in, harness it, so that I can ride it even further. Just start. There are some days when you dont feel like heading out the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is youre supposed to do that day for your goal. Well, instead of thinking about how hard it is, and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to start. I have a rule that I just have to put on my running shoes and close the door behind me. After that, it all flows naturally. Its when youre sitting in your house, thinking about running and feeling

tired, that it seems hard. Once you start, it is never as hard as you thought it would be. This tip works for me every time. Stay accountable. If you committed yourself publicly, through an online forum, on a blog, in email, or in person stay accountable to that group of people. Commit to report back to them daily, or something like that, and stick to it! That accountability will help you to want to do well, because you dont want to report that youve failed. Squash negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. This is one of the most important motivation skills, and I suggest you practice it daily. Its important to start monitoring your thoughts, and to recognize negative self-talk. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, This is too hard! and replace it with, I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can I! It sounds corny, but it works. Really. Think about the benefits. Thinking about how hard something is is a big problem for most people. Waking early sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how hard it is to wake early, focus on how good youll feel when youre done, and how your day will be so much better. The benefits of something will help energize you. Get excited again! Think about why you lost your excitement then think about why you were excited in the first place. Can you get that back? What made you want to do the goal? What made you passionate about it? Try to build that up again, refocus yourself, get energized. Read about it. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you on whatever youre reading about. So read about your goal every day, if you can, especially when youre not feeling motivated. Find like-minded friends. Staying motivated on your own is tough. But if you find someone with similar goals (running, dieting, finances, etc.), see if theyd like to partner with you. Or partner with your spouse, sibling or best friend on whatever goals theyre trying to achieve. You dont have to be going after the same goals as long as you are both pushing and encouraging each other to succeed. Other good options are groups in your area (Im part of a running club, for example) or online forums where you can find people to talk to about your goals. Read inspiring stories. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read other blogs,

books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me but from many readers who have achieved amazing things. I love, love, love reading success stories too. Build on your successes. Every little step along the way is a success celebrate the fact that you even started! And then did it for two days! Celebrate every little milestone. Then take that successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really small, and you wont fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success. Just get through the low points. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesnt do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal, ask for help, and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back. Get help. Its hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided to run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a great running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did long runs with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online forum and that helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped every step of the way. I couldnt have done these goals without her, or without the others who supported me. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both. Chart your progress. This can be as simple as marking an X on your calendar, or creating a simple spreadsheet, or logging your goal using online software. But it can be vastly rewarding to look back on your progress and to see how far youve come, and it can help you to keep going you dont want to have too many days without an X! Now, you will have some bad marks on your chart. Thats OK. Dont let a few bad marks stop you from continuing. Strive instead to get the good marks next time. Reward yourself often. For every little step along the way, celebrate your success, and give yourself a reward. It helps to write down appropriate rewards for each step, so that you can look forward to those rewards. By appropriate, I mean 1) its proportionate to the size of the goal (dont reward going on a 1-mile run with a luxury cruise in the Bahamas); and 2) it doesnt ruin your goal if you are trying to lose weight, dont reward a day of healthy eating with a dessert binge. Its self-defeating. Go for mini-goals. Sometimes large or longer-term goals can be overwhelming. After a couple weeks, we may lose

motivation, because we still have several months or a year or more left to accomplish the goal. Its hard to maintain motivation for a single goal for such a long time. Solution: have smaller goals along the way. Get a coach or take a class. These will motivate you to at least show up, and to take action. It can be applied to any goal. This might be one of the more expensive ways of motivating yourself, but it works. And if you do some research, you might find some cheap classes in your area, or you might know a friend who will provide coaching or counseling for free. Never skip two days in a row. This rule takes into account our natural tendency to miss days now and then. We are not perfect. So, you missed one day now the second day is upon you and you are feeling lazy tell yourself NO! You will not miss two days in a row! Use visualization. Visualize your successful outcome in great detail. Close your eyes, and think about exactly how your successful outcome will look, will feel, will smell and taste and sound like. Where are you when you become successful? How do you look? What are you wearing? Form as clear a mental picture as possible. Now heres the next key: do it every day. For at least a few minutes each day. This is the only way to keep that motivation going over a long period of time. Be aware of your urges to quit, and overcome them. We all have urges to stop, but they are mostly unconscious. One of the most powerful things you can do is to start being more conscious of those urges. A good exercise is to go through the day with a little piece of paper and put a tally mark for each time you get an urge. It simply makes you aware of the urges. Then have a plan for when those urges hit, and plan for it beforehand, and write down your plan, because once those urges hit, you will not feel like coming up with a plan. Find pleasure again. No one can stick to something for long if they find it unpleasant, and are only rewarded after months of toil. There has to be fun, pleasure, joy in it, every day, or you wont want to do it. Find those pleasurable things the beauty of a morning run, for example, or the satisfaction in reporting to people that you finished another step along the way, or the deliciousness of a healthy meal.

Tips to increase your motivation:

1. Think, meditate and find out whether you really want to achieve your desire, and whether it is worth the effort and time. 2. Make your goal very clear. Writing it down will help. 3. Think often about your goal or desire.

4. Visualize your goal as already accomplished, and close your mind to contrary thoughts. 5. Read books or articles about the subject of your goal. 6. Read about people who have achieved success. 7. Think often about the benefits you will gain by achieving your goal. 8. Visualize, and think about how you would feel after achieving your goal. 9. Repeat positive affirmations such as: "I have the desire and inner strength to achieve my goal". Repeat this affirmation often, with faith and strong feelings. 10. Start with doing something small concerning your goal. Success in small matters leads to greater success. Motivation is the powerful engine that moves you towards success and accomplishments in every area.

Consumer Buying Behavior?

Definition of Buying Behavior: Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products. Need to understand: why consumers make the purchases that they make? what factors influence consumer purchases? the changing factors in our society. Consumer Buying Behavior refers to the buying behavior of the ultimate consumer. A firm needs to analyze buying behavior for: Buyers reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms success. The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix (MM) that satisfies (gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the what, where, when and how consumers buy. Marketers can better predict how consumers will respond to marketing strategies.

Stages of the Consumer Buying Process

Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process (For complex decisions). Actual purchasing is only one stage of the process. Not all decision processes lead to a purchase. All consumer decisions do not

always include all 6 stages, determined by the degree of complexity...discussed next. The 6 stages are: Problem Recognition(awareness of need)-difference between the desired state and the actual condition. Deficit in assortment of products. Hunger--Food. Hunger stimulates your need to eat. Can be stimulated by the marketer through product information--did not know you were deficient? I.E., see a commercial for a new pair of shoes, stimulates your recognition that you need a new pair of shoes. Information search-Internal search, memory. External search if you need more information. Friends and relatives (word of mouth). Marketer dominated sources; comparison shopping; public sources etc. A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set. Hungry, want to go out and eat, evoked set is chinese food indian food burger king klondike kates etc Evaluation of Alternatives--need to establish criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants or does not want. Rank/weight alternatives or resume search. May decide that you want to eat something spicy, indian gets highest rank etc. If not satisfied with your choice then return to the search phase. Can you think of another restaurant? Look in the yellow pages etc. Information from different sources may be treated differently. Marketers try to influence by "framing" alternatives. Purchase decision--Choose buying alternative, includes product, package, store, method of purchase etc. Purchase--May differ from decision, time lapse between 4 & 5, product availability. Post-Purchase Evaluation--outcome: Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction. Cognitive Dissonance, have you made the right decision. This can be reduced by warranties, after sales communication etc. After eating an indian meal, may think that really you wanted a chinese meal instead.

Handout...Pillsbury 1-800#s
1-800 #s gives the consumer a way of communicating with the marketer after

purchase. This helps reduce cognitive dissonance when a marketer can answer any concerns of a new consumer. Return to Contents List

Types of Consumer Buying Behavior

Types of consumer buying behavior are determined by: Level of Involvement in purchase decision. Importance and intensity of interest in a product in a particular situation. Buyers level of involvement determines why he/she is motivated to seek information about a certain products and brands but virtually ignores others. High involvement purchases--Honda Motorbike, high priced goods, products visible to others, and the higher the risk the higher the involvement. Types of risk: Personal risk Social risk Economic risk The four type of consumer buying behavior are: Routine Response/Programmed Behavior--buying low involvement frequently purchased low cost items; need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples include soft drinks, snack foods, milk etc. Limited Decision Making--buying product occasionally. When you need to obtain information about unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires a moderate amount of time for information gathering. Examples include Clothes--know product class but not the brand. Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement, unfamiliar, expensive and/or infrequently bought products. High degree of economic/performance/psychological risk. Examples include cars, homes, computers, education. Spend alot of time seeking information and deciding. Information from the companies MM; friends and relatives, store personnel etc. Go through all six stages of the buying process. Impulse buying, no conscious planning. The purchase of the same product does not always elicit the same Buying Behavior. Product can shift from one category to the next. For example: Going out for dinner for one person may be extensive decision making (for someone that does not go out often at all), but limited decision making for someone else. The reason for the dinner, whether it is an anniversary celebration, or a meal

with a couple of friends will also determine the extent of the decision making.

Categories that Effect the Consumer Buying Decision Process

A consumer, making a purchase decision will be affected by the following three factors: Personal Psychological Social The marketer must be aware of these factors in order to develop an appropriate MM for its target market. Return to Contents List

Personal
Unique to a particular person. Demographic Factors. Sex, Race, Age etc. Who in the family is responsible for the decision making. Young people purchase things for different reasons than older people.

Handout...From choices to checkout...

Highlights the differences between male and female shoppers in the supermarket.

Psychological factors
Psychological factors include:

Motives-A motive is an internal energizing force that orients a person's activities toward satisfying a need or achieving a goal. Actions are effected by a set of motives, not just one. If marketers can identify motives then they can better develop a marketing mix. MASLOW hierarchy of needs!! Physiological 3 Safety 4 Love and Belonging 5Esteem 6 Self Actualization Need to determine what level of the hierarchy the consumers are at to determine what motivates their purchases.

Handout...Nutrament Debunked...
Nutrament, a product marketed by BristolMyers Squibb originally was targeted at consumers that needed to receive additional energy from their drinks after exercise etc., a fitness drink. It was therefore targeted at consumers whose needs were for either love and Belonging or esteem. The product was not selling well, and was almost terminated. Upon extensive research it was determined that the product did sell well in inner-city convenience stores. It was determined that the consumers for the product were actually drug addicts who couldn't not

digest a regular meal. They would purchase Nutrament as a substitute for a meal. Their motivation to purchase was completely different to the motivation that B-MS had originally thought. These consumers were at the Physiological level of the hierarchy. BM-S therefore had to redesign its MM to better meet the needs of this target market. Motives often operate at a subconscious level therefore are difficult to measure.

Perception-What do you see?? Perception is the process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information inputs to produce meaning. IE we chose what info we pay attention to, organize it and interpret it. Information inputs are the sensations received through sight, taste, hearing, smell and touch. Selective Exposure-select inputs to be exposed to our awareness. More likely if it is linked to an event, satisfies current needs, intensity of input changes (sharp price drop). Selective Distortion-Changing/twisting current received information, inconsistent with beliefs. Advertisers that use comparative advertisements (pitching one product against another), have to be very careful that consumers do not distort the facts and perceive that the advertisement was for the competitor. A current example...MCI and AT&T...do you ever get confused? Selective Retention-Remember inputs that support beliefs, forgets those that don't. Average supermarket shopper is exposed to 17,000 products in a shopping visit lasting 30 minutes-60% of purchases are unplanned. Exposed to 1,500 advertisement per day. Can't be expected to be aware of all these inputs, and certainly will not retain many. Interpreting information is based on what is already familiar, on knowledge that is stored in the memory.

Handout...South Africa wine....

Problems marketing wine from South Africa. Consumers have strong perceptions of the country, and hence its products.

Ability and Knowledge-Need to understand individuals capacity to learn. Learning, changes in a person's behavior caused by information and experience. Therefore to change consumers' behavior about your product, need to give them new information re: product...free sample etc. South Africa...open bottle of wine and pour it!! Also educate american consumers

about changes in SA. Need to sell a whole new country. When making buying decisions, buyers must process information. Knowledge is the familiarity with the product and expertise. Inexperience buyers often use prices as an indicator of quality more than those who have knowledge of a product. Non-alcoholic Beer example: consumers chose the most expensive six-pack, because they assume that the greater price indicates greater quality. Learning is the process through which a relatively permanent change in behavior results from the consequences of past behavior.

Attitudes-Knowledge and positive and negative feelings about an object or activity-maybe tangible or intangible, living or nonliving.....Drive perceptions Individual learns attitudes through experience and interaction with other people. Consumer attitudes toward a firm and its products greatly influence the success or failure of the firm's marketing strategy.

Handout...Oldsmobile..... Oldsmobile vs. Lexus, due to consumers attitudes toward Oldsmobile (as discovered by class exercise) need to disassociate Aurora from the Oldsmobile name. Exxon Valdez-nearly 20,000 credit cards were returned or cut-up after the tragic oil spill .Honda "You meet the nicest people on a Honda", dispel the unsavory image of a motorbike rider, late 1950s. Changing market of the 1990s, baby boomers aging, Hondas market returning to hard core. To change this they have a new slogan "Come ride with us".Attitudes and attitude change are influenced by consumers personality and lifestyle.Consumers screen information that conflicts with their attitudes. Distort information to make it consistent and selectively retain information that reinforces our attitudes. IE brand loyalty.There is a difference between attitude and intention to buy (ability to buy).

Personality-all the internal traits and behaviors that make a person unique, uniqueness arrives from a person's heredity and personal experience. Examples include:

Workaholics 2Compulsiveness 3Self confidence 4 Friendliness 5Adaptability 6Ambitiousness 7Dogmatism 8Authoritarianism 9Introversion 10Extroversion 11Aggressiveness 12Competitiveness. Traits effect the way people behave. Marketers try to match the store image to the perceived image of their customers. There is a weak association between personality and Buying Behavior, this may be due to unreliable measures. Nike ads. Consumers buy products that are consistent with their self concept.

Lifestyles-Recent US trends in lifestyles are a shift towards personal independence and individualism and a preference for a healthy, natural lifestyle. Lifestyles are the consistent patterns people follow in their lives. EXAMPLE healthy foods for a healthy lifestyle. Sun tan not considered fashionable in US until 1920's. Now an assault by the American Academy of Dermatology.
Handout...Here Comes the Sun to Confound Health Savvy Lotion Makers..

Extra credit assignment from the news group, to access Value and Lifestyles (VALS) Program, complete the survey and Email alex@udel.edu the results. This is a survey tool that marketers can use to better understand their target market(s). Return to Contents List

Social Factors
Consumer wants, learning, motives etc. are influenced by opinion leaders, person's family, reference groups, social class and culture.

Opinion leaders-Spokespeople etc. Marketers try to attract opinion leaders...they actually use (pay) spokespeople to market their products. Michael Jordon (Nike, McDonalds, Gatorade etc.) Can be risky...Michael Jackson...OJ Simpson...Chevy Chase

Roles and Family Influences-Role...things you should do based on the expectations of you from your position within a group. People have many roles. Husband, father, employer/ee. Individuals role are continuing to change therefore marketers must continue to update information. Family is the most basic group a person belongs to. Marketers must understand: that many family decisions are made by the family unit consumer behavior starts in the family unit family roles and preferences are the model for

children's future family (can reject/alter/etc) family buying decisions are a mixture of family interactions and individual decision making family acts an interpreter of social and cultural values for the individual. The Family life cycle: families go through stages, each stage creates different consumer demands: bachelor stage...most of BUAD301 newly married, young, no children...me full nest I, youngest child under 6 full nest II, youngest child 6 or over full nest III, older married couples with dependant children empty nest I, older married couples with no children living with them, head in labor force empty nest II, older married couples, no children living at home, head retired solitary survivor, in labor force solitary survivor, retired Modernized life cycle includes divorced and no children.

Handout...Two Income Marriages Are Now the Norm

Because 2 income families are becoming more common, the decision maker within the family unit is changing...also, family has less time for children, and therefore tends to let them influence purchase decisions in order to alleviate some of the guilt. (Children influence about $130 billion of goods in a year) Children also have more money to spend themselves.

Reference Groups-Individual identifies with the group to the extent that he takes on many of the values, attitudes or behaviors of the group members. Families, friends, sororities, civic and professional organizations. Any group that has a positive or negative influence on a persons attitude and behavior. Membership groups (belong to) Affinity marketing is focused on the desires of consumers that belong to reference groups. Marketers get the groups to approve the product and communicate that approval to its members. Credit Cards etc.!! Aspiration groups (want to belong to) Disassociate groups (do not want to belong to) Honda, tries to disassociate from the "biker" group. The degree to which a reference group will affect a purchase decision depends on an individuals susceptibility to reference group influence and the strength of his/her involvement with the group.

Social Class-an open group of individuals who have similar social rank. US is not a classless society. US criteria; occupation, education, income, wealth, race, ethnic groups and possessions. Social class influences many aspects of our lives. IE upper middle class Americans prefer luxury cars Mercedes.

Upper Americans-upper-upper class, .3%, inherited wealth, aristocratic names. Lower-upper class, 1.2%, newer social elite, from current professionals and corporate elite Upper-middle class, 12.5%, college graduates, managers and professionals Middle Americans-middle class, 32%, average pay white collar workers and blue collar friends Working class, 38%, average pay blue collar workers Lower Americans-lower class, 9%, working, not on welfare Lower-lower class, 7%, on welfare Social class determines to some extent, the types, quality, quantity of products that a person buys or uses. Lower class people tend to stay close to home when shopping, do not engage in much prepurchase information gathering. Stores project definite class images. Family, reference groups and social classes are all social influences on consumer behavior. All operate within a larger culture.

Culture and Sub-culture-Culture refers to the set of values, ideas, and attitudes that are accepted by a homogenous group of people and transmitted to the next generation. Culture also determines what is acceptable with product advertising. Culture determines what people wear, eat, reside and travel. Cultural values in the US are good health, education, individualism and freedom. In american culture time scarcity is a growing problem. IE change in meals. Big impact on international marketing.

Handout...Will British warm up to iced tea?

No...but that is my opinion!!...Tea is a part of the British culture, hot with milk. Different society, different levels of needs, different cultural values. Culture can be divided into subcultures: geographic regions human characteristics such as age and ethnic background. IE West Coast, teenage and Asian American. Culture

effects what people buy, how they buy and when they buy. Understanding Consumer Buying Behavior offers consumers greater satisfaction (Utility). We must assume that the company has adopted the Marketing Concept and are consumer oriented. Role of information DECISION
PROCESS The Consumer Decision Process (CDP) is a road map of consumer's minds that marketers and managers can use to help guide product mix, communication and sales strategies (ENGEL, KOLLAT &

BLACKWELL): Need recognition refers to the buyer's acceptance that the category (a product or service) is necessary to remove or satisfy a perceived discrepancy between the current motivational state and the desired motivational state. Search for information: Types: Internal: retrieving knowledge from memory or genetic tendencies. External: collecting information from peers, family and the marketplace. Sources of information: Marketer dominated: anything the supplier does to inform and persuade Nonmarketed dominated: friends, family, opinion leaders, media, WOM. Information processing: Exposure * Attention * Comprehension * Acceptance * Retention Pre-purchase alternative evaluation: Evaluative criteria: standards used to compare different products & brands. Salient attributes: the most important. Determinant attributes: details that determine which brand or store consumers choose .Purchase to decide whether to purchase: Choose one retailer (catalogues, aids on TV In-store choices (salespersons, product displays at POP)Post-purchase evaluation: Consumption: the point at which consumers use the product - satisfied? Post-consumption evaluation: possible results: Satisfaction: consumers' expectations are matched by perceived performance. Dissatisfaction: experiences and performance fall short of expectations Post-purchase regret: have I made a good decision? Did I consider all the alternatives? The highest the price, the highest this factor.

Personal Selling and Sales Management,Scope and Importance

of Personal Selling In the US, 14 million people are employed in sales positions, according to the department of labor. Sales personnel include stockbrokers, manufacturing sales representatives, real estate brokers etc. Most students in this class will have been employed as a sales person.

Nature of Personal Selling

The greatest freedom to adjust a message to satisfy customers informational needs, dynamic. Most precision, enabling marketers to focus on most promising leads. vs. advertising, publicity and sales promotion Give more information Two way flow of information, interactivity. Discover the strengths and weaknesses of new products and pass this information on to the marketing department. Highest cost. Businesses spend more on personal selling than on any other form of promotional mix. Goals range from finding prospects convincing prospects to buy keeping customers satisfied--help them pass the word along.

Types of Sales Persons

Order Takers
Seek repeat sales, make certain that customers have sufficient product

quantities where and when they need it. Do not require extensive sales effort. Arrange displays, restocks them, answer phone calls. Low compensation, little training required. High turnover of personnel. 2 types: Inside Order Takers receive orders by mail/phone, sales person in a retail store. Field Order Takers travel to customers. Use laptop computers to improve tracking of inventory and orders etc.

Order Getters
Sell to new customers and increase sales to present customers, sometimes called creative selling. Generate customer leads, provide information, persuading customers and closing sales. Required for high priced, complex and/or new products. High pressure, requires expensive, time consuming training.

Support Personnel
Facilitate the selling function. Primarily business to business products. Missionary Salespeople Distribute information regarding new goods or services, describes attributes and leaves materials, does not close sales. Assist producers' customers in selling to their own customers. IE call on retailers and persuade them to carry the product. Pharmaceuticals may go to doctors offices and persuade them to carry their products. Trade Salespeople May perform order taking function as well. Spend much time helping customers, especially retail stores, to promote the product. Restock the shelves, set up displays. Technical Salespersons Offer technical assistance to current customers. Usually trained engineers etc. Service Salespeople interacts with customers after sale is complete. Team selling...entire team of selling professionals in selling to and servicing major customers, especially when specialized knowledge is needed to satisfy different interests in customers' buying centers.

Elements of the Personal Selling Process

No 2 salespersons use exactly the same sales method, but it is generally a seven step process:

Prospecting and Evaluating

Seek names of prospects through sales records, referrals etc., also responses to advertisements. Need to evaluate if the person is able (Undergraduate degree to attend a graduate program), willing and authorized to buy. Blind prospecting-rely

on phone directory etc.

Preapproach (Preparing) Review

key decision makers esp. for business to business, but also family

assess credit histories prepare sales presentations identify product needs. Helps present the presentation to meet the prospects needs.

Approaching the Customer

Manner in which the sales person contacts the potential customer. First impression of the sales person is Lasting and therefore important. Strive to develop a relationship rather than just push the product. Can be based on referrals, cold calling or repeat contact.

Making the Presentation

Need to attract and hold the prospects Attention to stimulate Interest and stir up Desire in the product so the potential customer takes the appropriate Action. AIDA Try to get the prospect to touch, hold or try the product. Must be able to change the presentation to meet the prospect needs. Three types of presentations: Stimulus Response Format: Appropriate stimulus will initiate a buy decision, use one appeal after another hoping to hit the right button...Counter Clerk @ McDonald's "Would you like fries with your burger?" Formula Selling Format: (Canned Sales Presentation) memorized, repetitive, given to all customers interested in a specific product. Good for inexperienced sales people. Better with heavily advertised items that are presold. Telemarketing a credit card!! Need Satisfaction Format: Based on the principal that each customer has a different set of needs/desires., therefore the sales presentation should be adapted to the individual customer's needs, this is a key advantage of personal selling vs. advertising. Sales person asks questions first, then makes the presentation accordingly. Need to do homework, listen well and allow customers to talk etc. Must answer two types of questions: for more information overcome objections.

Overcoming Objections
Seek out objections and address them Anticipate and counter them before the prospect can raise them. Try to avoid bringing up objections that the prospect would not have raised. Price objection is the most common

Need to provide customers with reasons for the $s, build up the value before price is mentioned Must be convinced of price in own mind before you can sell to customer. Get budget info. on buyer before you try to sell, and must know what they want, must sell service on top of product augmented product--to create value!! Must know value of product, provide warranties etc.!!

Closing
Ask prospect to buy product/products. Use trial closes, IE ask about financial terms, preferred method of delivery. 20% sales people generally close 80% sales., Avon, over 1/2 US $1.4 bn business from 17% of 415,000 SRs. Need to be prepared to close at any time. The following are popular closing techniques: Trial close) Assumptive close (Implied consent close) Urgency close .Ask for the sale close If prospect says no, they may just need more reasons to buy!!

Following Up
Must follow up sale, determine if the order was delivered on time, installation OK etc. Also helps determine the prospects future needs. Accomplishes four objectives: customer gain short term satisfaction referrals are stimulated in the long run, repurchase prevent cognitive dissonance Old school, sell and leave!!--Quickly before customer changes her mind!! Now: Stay a few minutes after sale--reinforce, make them feel good, made wise choice, leave small gift (with co. name on it!!), call office at any time etc!! Follow up, reinforce, know birthdays, new year etc, friendly correspondence...relationship building!!

Handout...Toyota Calling In Japan's Car Market

Half of cars are sold door-to-door. This is shrinking due to environmental changes. Toyota has more than 100,000 door-todoor sales people. Developing Long-term relationships is key, Keiretsu, do business with only those you know and trust. Face-to-face meetings before business to establish trust, the approach stage. Follow up is key to relationship: After sales:

call inquiring on car's immediate performance hand written greeting cards written invitations for low cost oil changes Prospecting includes: Driving schools for people to obtain licenses =prospects Also referrals from existing customers is very important Curtsey calls to clients who referred new customers. Timing of presentation: To housewife in the middle of the day . Just before 3 year "Shaken", following 2 years "At first I had no intention of buying a new car, but Mr. Saito is very good at proposing reasons why I should change" = $1,600 shaken.

Management of Sales force

Sales force is directly responsible for. generating sales revenue. Eight general management areas:

Establish Sales force objectives

Similar to other promotional objectives Demand oriented or image oriented. Major objective is persuasion, converting consumer interest into sales. Sales objectives; expected to accomplish within a certain period of time. Give direction and purpose and act as a standard for evaluation. Set for total salesforce and each individual salesperson. Can be $s, units sold, market share to achieve, for individual salespersons, also include ave. order size, ave. # of sales/time period, and ratio orders/calls. Return to Contents

Organizing the Sales force

In-house vs. independent agents (manufacturer's sales agents). Organize by: .Geography (simplest, but not suitable if product(s) are complex or customers require specialized knowledge) . Customer: Different buyers have different needs . Product: Specific knowledge re: products is needed Size. Marginal analysis, or determine how many sales calls/year are needed for an organization to effectively serve its customers and divide this total by the average # of sales calls that a person makes annually. Also use subjective judgement. MBNA estimates how many calls to expect, one year in advance, and then determines the size of the sales force at any given time.

3Recruiting and Selecting Salespeople Need to establish a set of

required qualifications before beginning to recruit. Prepare a job description that lists specific tasks the salesperson should perform and analyze traits of the successful salespeople within the organization. May use assessment centers--intense training environment that places candidates in realistic problem settings in which they give priorities to their activities, make and act on decisions. Recruitment should be a continual activity

aimed at reaching the best applicants. Applicants that most match the demographics of the target market. Changing demographics, may be wise to hire Hispanic sales people if your territory is in Florida!! 4Training Sales Personnel Use formal programs, or Informal on-the-job training. Can be complex or simple. Training should focus on: the company . products . selling techniques. Aimed at new hires and experienced personnel. Can be held in the field, educational institutions or company facilities. Oldsmobile spent $25 million last year to teach its dealers how to better treat its customers.

5Compensating Sales People

To attract, motivate and retain sales people, that facilitate and encourage good treatment of the customers. Need to understand personalities of sales people. Strive for proper balance of freedom, income and incentives. Need to determine the best level of compensation required, and the best method of calculating it. Straight salary . straight commission (selling insurance)--single percentage of sales or sliding rate . Combination plan

Motivating Sales People Need a

systematic approach, must also satisfy nonfinancial needs:

Job security . Working Conditions . Opportunities to succeed . Sales contests increase sales. Symbolic awards--plaques, rings etc. Can also use negative motivational methods for under performers. Due to burn out--even the best need motivating!! Ongoing process...keep reps. hungry Need a motivational program. Spend time with reps, personal attention!! Take interest in them and the sales goals . 1Compensation packet that rewards quality salesmanship and extra effort . Recognition of extra effort of sales force . Make sure SR feel important . Keep SR informed of company activities Make certain reps. believe in the company Goals must be realistic and achievable and changeable . Determine what they want and give it to them Controlling and Evaluating Sales force performance . Rely on information from call reports, customer feedback and invoices. Performance is determined by objectives. May compare with predetermined performance standards or with other sales people working under similar conditions.

Handout Avon....
$4 billion business, relied solely on . personal selling until recently, environmental changes have changed this...no longer is the wife expected to be at home...model is dual income earning parents with children in day care. Need to develop more efficient ways to reach customers. Salespeople earn pure commission, 10%...50% for top sellers (over $32,750) Strategies tried:

Avon Select. Direct mail catalog and toll free number, attract those that didn't know an "Avon Lady", or didn't want to deal with one. Also used national TV and print campaign in conjunction. Problems = Salesperson creates confidence in the brand, delivering much more than advertising is able to do. When you take away the selling relationship, you're left with a brand that's relatively naked. Key is not to undercut the field sales force, similar to dual distribution creating channel conflict. Mary Kay Corp has also tried this strategy but differently and more successfully: Catalogs carry different merchandise Forward commission to sales rep. in customer's area "Never have a grey area regarding competing with sales force." Other denominational concerns: Restructured commissions Dropped awards, trips and other incentives A Multi-level marketing (MLM) concept. Rewarded for products sold as well as people you recruit as a sales rep....by getting some of their commission and a portion of the commission of reps. they recruit etc. Created a hard sell environment and was consequently scrapped. To remediate: New CEO . Reinstate Birthday presents Anniversary plates . Annual Pins . Phone Blitzes to indicate appreciation

COMPREHENSIVE NOTE ON TRAINING COMPENSATION AND SUPERVISION

Training traps Sales training often

focuses far too much on what the sales person is saying and doing rather than what the other person is understanding and deciding Sales training often fails because it confuses attitude with process. To learn to sell, you need to understand the process. Some sales training gets you all pumped up, but doesn't tell you what to do next. It's like giving you a gun and not telling you how or where to use it. Good

sales training To make sales training

effective, it first must teach people how to fish, not how to be fish. It is surprising how many sales people are suckers--feed them a great line and they'll believe it.

It's about understanding Good sales training manages the paradox of

both teaching a coherent process whilst avoiding the 'one true way' religion. The people should come out understanding how the system works, not just understanding how to work the presumably-magical system. The approach in any sales situation should be (a) understand what is going on, and then (b) apply learning that works in this situation. Good sales training thus provides lots of case studies and practical exercises where the student gets to try out the new learning in a safe environment

Compensation &

Matures
A sales compensation plan is a way to put your marketing strategy into operation. Given the impact that sales compensation plans can have on growth, almost every company with a sales force should take a more strategic approach to designing their incentives plan. Fully understanding both the key drivers of successful sales incentive programs and the ways to optimize them can be complex, and plan specifics can vary widely. Nevertheless, there are a few key factors that you should consider when designing and administering an effective sales incentive program.

Buying Decision process Need Recognition

Need recognition is the first stage of buying decision process, buyer identify a need or identify a problem. The buyer feels a differentiation between his o her actual state and ideal state. The need can be initiated by internal stimuli when a normal need arises to such a level it become a drive. External stimulus can also trigger a need. Mrs. Nicole feel need for a new hobby when her business tower ended. She needed a camera and Photoshop Software when her friend talked her about photography. Advertising is also be an external stimuli. Marketers should research buyers to find out what type of needs arises and how they drive the consumers towards the particular product. Gathering such type of information, they marketers can recognize the factors that generally trigger attention in the product and can build up marketing programs that engages these factors.

Information Search
Information search comes second in buying decision process. If the buyers drive is strong enough and he is near to a satisfying product, the buyer is likely to go for it. If not, consumer or buyer may store this need and commence information search associated to the need. In need recognition stage consumer may go into high level of attention. Mrs. Nicole becomes more approachable to information about cameras. She notices camera in ads, used by her friends, and discussion about camera or Mrs. Nicole may go for information search. Where she finds for related literature, friends, mass media, internet search engines like google or video on youtube and collects information in so many ways. How Mrs. Nicole curious about the amount of information searching depend on the power of her drive. The buyer or consumer can get information many sources. These includes Personal sources. .Commercial sources ..Public sources . Experiential sources The influence of such information sources differs with the buyer and the product. As more information is got, the buyers awareness and consciousness increases about brands and their features.

Evaluation of Alternatives
Consumers use information to get at a set of final brand choices. Choosing among the alternatives is always difficult. The marketers must be aware about the alternative evaluation that means that how buyers process the information they get from different sources. Consumers never use a easy an single assessment and evaluation process buying situations. There are few concepts evaluation process of consumers. First, suppose that consumer perceives a product as a set of product attributes. Camera attributes include quality of picture, shape and size, easy to use, and also price. Consumers will pay attention to those attributes which are closely associated to needs. Second, the buyer will attach various degrees of importance to various attributes according to unique desire and needs. Third, the buyer develops brand beliefs which notify where brand stands on attribute. Set of beliefs about a specific brand known as brand image. Fourth, the complete quality satisfaction of expected by consumer will differ levels of various attributes. If level of attribute come together and give Mrs. Nicole the highest satisfaction will make it her ideal camera if it is affordable and available. Fifth, using evaluation procedure the consumer reaches at attitudes towards the several brands. Consumers use many evaluation procedures as per the consumer and his buying decision

Purchase Decision
Purchase intentions develop in the evaluation phase after the buyer ranks the brand. In general, the purchase decision of the buyer will be to go for the desired brand. There are two factors that can influence the purchase intention and decision. One is attitude of others, if Mrs. Nicoles best friend Natalie strongly suggests her friend to buy a low price brand then the chance of buying high priced camera will be reduced. The second is unexpected situational factors, buyers develop purchase intention depending on buyer expected income, price and expected benefit of the product. Unexpected situational factors may include Mrs. Nicole may quit or lose her job, she might go for another purchase,

Post purchase Behavior

A product is bought but the marketers job does not end. When a consumer purchase a product, he may satisfy of dissatisfy with the product and this lead him in post purchase behavior.